Eating So Little...Are you used to it now?

roseann78

I love your post. I know of someone (other than me) who would really benefit from you story. I get the sob story of "I can't lose weight because I cant exercise"...its so hard...you don't know how hard it is (to be me), etc. Its heartbreaking to watch someone you love essentially slowly killing themselves with food. I can't say I don't "binge" but I am learning its a destructive habit that does me no good. I decided back in Jan-Feb I was sick of feeling sick and tired. I am 34 and shouldn't feel that bad. I couldn't (didnt want to walk/run 3 miles). I finally said I WILL. I still cant run a full mile, but I have finished 2 5ks and going to do a 3rd. The more weight I continue to lose I know I will be running more and walking less.

In case your wondering I was 100+ lbs over weight and have lost 25lbs.

Not sure how to add friends, but I would love to have you as a motivation for you and know you will do well and get those new knees!

elenathegreat

I want to get a poster of you to look at when I am thinking, "Oh this is just too hard" and feeling sorry for myself. You are an inspiration.

RickyLuvsMary4ever

Wonderful post, congratulations on the new you!


But to answer your question, yes I am used to eating my 1400 to 1700 calories no problem , I always tell my sister it is no wonder I was over 300 pounds I used to eat with my eyes and taste buds only.

I was food addicted, just the way the food manufacturers wanted me to be. Now I feel addicted to life instead.

LJCannon

:flowerforyou: Thank You for sharing your Story!! I needed to read this today!!

Hanfordrose

I love your post. I know of someone (other than me) who would really benefit from you story. I get the sob story of "I can't lose weight because I cant exercise"...its so hard...you don't know how hard it is (to be me), etc.

I may be 68 years old and pretty much stuck in a chair all day, but I exercise. With orders from my surgeon to avoid putting weight on knees or doing anything that put stress on my knees, I went with his recommendation to only do 'sitting down exercises'. That's when bought some Sit And Fit DVD's. I workout for 30 minutes, nearly every day; and I even use hand weights. The wheelchair does not define me as a total invalid. My body can workout, as long as I don't put any strain on my knees. That leaves me everything from my thighs to the top of my head usable and exercisable.

If I can exercise...if I can lose inches...if I can do it without sweating buckets...then anyone can.

In case your wondering I was 100+ lbs over weight and have lost 25lbs.

Not sure how to add friends, but I would love to have you as a motivation for you and know you will do well and get those new knees!

It sounds like you a new to MFP. I just clicked on your name, and it took me right to your profile. Then, I clicked on the friend request button. Now, all you have to do is click ACCEPT, when you open that message from me. You will find the message center at the very top of your MFP wall, where is see your daily posts.

Mustang_Susie

thanks for sharing this. I have so many friends who are eating between 500-1000 calories and I get worried about their health, so when I saw you eating 1000 calories, I thought, "oh no. not another one". But I did not think about your age and confinement. I am proud of you, and look forward to the day when you get those new knees

Any female eating 500 to 1,000 calorie without consulting her doctor first is inviting health problems. My doctor has me taking 3 different vitamins to make sure that I get the nutrients to stay healthy, while on a low calorie food plan. He insisted that I up my protein, after reviewing my initial food plan. He made sure that I had a nutritionist referral, and she looks out for me as well. It will do me no good to lose this weight...only to end up with other medical problems, related to vitamin deficiencies.

I am an RN who works in long term care, so I see many people in wheelchairs taking in the lower amount of calories you are talking about and not in "starvation mode" (I hate that term).
I have posted several times about malnutrition vs. "starvation".
I confirm everything you have said.
Good job! :flowerforyou:

Hanfordrose

I want to get a poster of you to look at when I am thinking, "Oh this is just too hard" and feeling sorry for myself. You are an inspiration.

Here are a couple of shots for you to put on your computer screen to remind you of "the old lady in the wheelchair".

This photo was taken in February. My sweet hubbie, Pastor Special Ed, took me to lunch at my favorite restaurant in San Diego. By the way, I had a great lunch and still stayed within my calorie limit for that day.



Here is the most recent photo, taken just 2 weeks ago...before we left for Sunday morning service. All my MFP sisters thought that it looked good, so I made it my profile picture.



These next two comparison photos show me (on the left side) in November 2011 at 280+ pounds and in a great deal of pain. I was ordered into my wheelchair shortly after this photo was taken. (On the right side) You can see the happy, healthy me in a more recent photo.






By the way, I have lost 12 more pounds since April, when the photo on the right was taken of me. :happy:

UrnAsh

Awesome post. You're looking good!!

Shani_Shoo

Thank you so much for sharing and for providing me with some perspective. I love that you forego your breakfast on Sunday to have lunch with your Ed. So sweet. Can't wait to see your new knees.

RawCarrots

Hello there, this post has been on my mind since I've first read it and wasn't sure if I should reply or not, but since I'm still thinking about it thought I would. Plus, yey! I'm famous! Finally somebody has mentioned me in the famous MFP forums <insert ironic smilie here for those who don't get the joke>

Let me start by saying I love your dedication and will power. You have a lot to lose by staying the way you are and a lot to gain by losing all the extra weight. For you the transformation would be literally life changing (and possibly life saving), and I'm sure that makes you even more dedicated. Just because you don't have much of a choice it doesn't make it any easier for you, I understand that!

Now to the rest of the post :happy:

Yes, I was curious about the 1000 calories, I was only your friend for less than a day and didn't realise you were in a wheelchair. I was also wondering do you find it hard to stick to 1000, also pretty obvious question I would have though. I was on 1200 when I started and the truth is I did find it hard going some days. It wasn't about how much I exercise, it was about re-educating myself to eat food that have more volume for the calories you get, usually vegetables. I did stick to my calories but quickly realised that while I could eat that bagel and fit it around my calories, the amount of food I get is so small my stomach is still physically empty. I would have stuck to it had it been the only way to lose the weight but it would have not been easy! Hence my question. I'm glad it was the reason for a blog posts and hopefully it will help others in similar situation.

However, I do admit the rest of your post had me puzzled and slightly bit annoyed. Yes, I did post few times I can't wait to get into my size 12 jeans (which have been at the back of the wardrobe for nearly 10 years), yes I do have some vain reasons for getting slim - like wanting to look hot again and fit in nice clothes, like being able to chase the kids in the park and not get out of breath after 5 minutes... I'm nearly 40 and it had finally clicked I'm not getting any younger. I've spend the last 10 years of my life putting my family and children first, and I feel it's time to do something about myself for a change. Having an active toddler makes it hard to get any free time, as anybody who has children knows, throw two older ones in the mix and you can imagine my daily schedule... Looking slim and trendy is my vain reason, it's my only way to reclaim a little bit of the old me and feel in control, I don't have to apologize for it:happy: Like many others I started because of health concerns, but it's not something I'm willing to discuss here. But now I'm healthy I just want to look great If people think that's superficial - well, that's not my problem. I am going to get into those size 12 (uk) jeans and rock them! And then I'll work my way towards the size 10 ones:laugh:

The other comment about the binge eating had me even more puzzled... wasn't even sure what to make of that. Yes, I did post yesterday I had this sudden urge to go and get a burger... and I did. I had my usual porridge for breakfast, light lunch and had 800-900 calories left so thought I could comfortably fit a "treat dinner" and even have left over for a snack later. As shocking as it may sound to some I do have treat dinners some days, usually once a week. I still eat pizza and takeaways, I just make sure to have light lunch and no snacks that day - I often go over 100-200 on those days, but since I'm under other days it well balances over the week. I did post on my newsfeed about it for two reasons: First I was surprised how many calories were there in a burger, chips and coke (haven't had those in months!). And second - after few months on MFP and losing 20lb I had that confidence that I'm good at it and I can concur everything, I "knew it all":laugh: :laugh: Oh bless my ignorance!! That burger craving caught me by surprise and dragged me in, and I didn't even try and resist, surely I was an expert at losing weight now. It came to show me that I'm not immune from emotional eating even after weeks of logging. It came to show me the temptations will always be there and that sometimes I just want to give in to them. I came to show me I have so much more to learn... I wouldn't call eating one Burger King meal and binge though, and wouldn't call commenting about it a pity party. Any body who knows me longer than a day would probably agree that I am a fighter, not a pity-party-feel-sorry-for-me person. As my husband says "You are one of the most stubborn people I've met. Glad to see you finally put it to this worthy cause":laugh:

So yes, I do post about my size 12 jeans, it keeps me motivated. Another couple of months and I will get there!! I also occasionally have 800-1000 calorie dinners, and may go over 100-200 on the day, but I usually have "saved" from other days so it all evens out.

I'm not even sure why I spent the last half an hour typing a reply. I guess I was a bit annoyed and felt judged, we've only known each other a day We all have our reasons and our ways of doing it, my "get into size 12 jeans" is not less worthy of somebody else's "keep diabetes at bay" reason. Plus, some of us like our privacy here and may chose to leave out certain details

Best of luck to all of you My Fitness Pals losing weight, whichever way you do it, and for whatever reason you chose to do it!:flowerforyou:

RawCarrots

Oh dear, I'm sorry it turned out so long!!! Have no time to edit it now as I have a toddler pulling on my legs waiting to go for a walk, so sorry... that's my quota of MFP posting for the month :laugh:

Sezmo83

I used to get the opposite in real life, people would see my full plate of food and go "I thought you were on a diet, you can't eat that much on a diet" or "how can you expect to lose weight eating all that?" and other things along those lines but I found that with eating the right things I needed to eat a lot more to get all my calories (or points as I do Weight Watchers) in. They just couldn't get their heads around the fact I could eat proper meals (and even have dessert at times!) and still lose weight. Even now I get told I should be eating nothing but salad if I want to lose weight.

I'm another with some vanity reasons for wanting to lose weight. I want to look good. I want to be able to get back into my nice clothes. I want to go to events with my hubby and not stick out like a sore thumb because I'm twice the size of the other wives there. I need to lose weight for heath reasons too and they are obviously important but sometimes, rightly or wrongly, it's those vanity reasons that make me keep at it when I'm struggling.

You sound like you're doing fantastic on your lifestyle change It's very easy to say you'll make changes, sticking to it is the hard part.

Sezmo83

I used to get the opposite in real life, people would see my full plate of food and go "I thought you were on a diet, you can't eat that much on a diet" or "how can you expect to lose weight eating all that?" and other things along those lines but I found that with eating the right things I needed to eat a lot more to get all my calories (or points as I do Weight Watchers) in. They just couldn't get their heads around the fact I could eat proper meals (and even have dessert at times!) and still lose weight. Even now I get told I should be eating nothing but salad if I want to lose weight.

I'm another with some vanity reasons for wanting to lose weight. I want to look good. I want to be able to get back into my nice clothes. I want to go to events with my hubby and not stick out like a sore thumb because I'm twice the size of the other wives there. I need to lose weight for heath reasons too and they are obviously important but sometimes, rightly or wrongly, it's those vanity reasons that make me keep at it when I'm struggling.

You sound like you're doing fantastic on your lifestyle change It's very easy to say you'll make changes, sticking to it is the hard part.

LauriePar

Amazing post! Thanks for sharing.

And yes, you do get used to it. Or, at least I do. It's amazing how much less food it takes to satisfy me if I actually eat nutritious things, mindfully... rather than gorging on junk at lightning speed.

. Yep-- that is me too!

HiKaren

I just want to thank you for sharing this. So many times I have to tell myself that I may not have the legs of a super model... But they carry me where I still need to go. I could have ended up in a chair myself at 47 years old. And still can (I have some bone diseases and issues with DDD and osteopenia and arthritis) And lucky to be walking after a horse accident as well. But you've shown me, that a good attitude is possible. If/when it happens to me. By the way.. I give you a whoot whoot, for your success thus far. Great job your doing.

Hanfordrose

I did post on my newsfeed about it for two reasons: First I was surprised how many calories were there in a burger, chips and coke (haven't had those in months!). And second - after few months on MFP and losing 20lb I had that confidence that I'm good at it and I can concur everything, I "knew it all":laugh: :laugh: Oh bless my ignorance!! That burger craving caught me by surprise and dragged me in, and I didn't even try and resist, surely I was an expert at losing weight now. It came to show me that I'm not immune from emotional eating even after weeks of logging. It came to show me the temptations will always be there and that sometimes I just want to give in to them. I came to show me I have so much more to learn... I wouldn't call eating one Burger King meal and binge though, and wouldn't call commenting about it a pity party. Any body who knows me longer than a day would probably agree that I am a fighter, not a pity-party-feel-sorry-for-me person. As my husband says "You are one of the most stubborn people I've met. Glad to see you finally put it to this worthy cause" :laugh:

Yes, your words were the inspiration for this post. However, you were NOT the inspiration for my comments about binge eating...or hosting a pity party. What you posted about your burger experience was perfect...both yesterday and today. You weren't asking anyone for pity or justification to overeat.

When I celebrated my birthday in February, I planned well ahead for that lunch time date. I called the restaurant and discussed the menu with the manager and the chef. They were incredibly helpful and made sure that I got 'my treat meal' of Coconut Shrimp and more, while still staying under my daily calorie limit. That was my birthday lunch...with leftovers for that night's dinner.

I also allow Sunday to be open for modification with a possible lunch out with my hubbie. That is called planning. We can plan for special treats, just like you would for any other part of your life. This is supposed to be a change for our future, not a time of trial with no hope of rewards beyond pounds and inches. This is a time to learn what works for us.

What I do...what I eat...cannot be the standard for anyone but me. Several folks said that I inspired them, but none of them should climb into a wheelchair to 'be like me'.

I'm not even sure why I spent the last half an hour typing a reply. I guess I was a bit annoyed and felt judged, we've only known each other a day. We all have our reasons and our ways of doing it, my "get into size 12 jeans" is not less worthy of somebody else's "keep diabetes at bay" reason. Plus, some of us like our privacy here and may chose to leave out certain details.

I am not judging you or your motivation and goals. Everybody is different. We may have some things in common, but we are all unique individuals leading extraordinary lives. Most folks don't even know that they are special. Your hubbie called you stubborn. Sometimes, my hubbie lovingly calls me a *kitten*; and I respond with Butthead. That's just love talk between us, but it is his way of saying that I am stubborn too.

It seems that you and I have that in common. We are both alpha ladies. We want to get what we want and will fight for it. That is an extraordinary gift that can help us to take on and accomplish difficult tasks and be less willing to give up.

I think that you are on the right path...and yes...yesterday, you inspired me. :flowerforyou:

Oh dear, I'm sorry it turned out so long!!! Have no time to edit it now as I have a toddler pulling on my legs waiting to go for a walk, so sorry... that's my quota of MFP posting for the month :laugh:

Go walk the baby, Sis. I will see you later.

mlogantra76

Thank you so much for your post. There is so much wisdom in it. I'm so glad you will be able to get new knees! My mom had one knee done last June and just had the other one done two weeks ago. It makes a world of difference. You are doing so well with your weight loss. I understand what you are saying about every body being different.... I had an aunt who was in a wheel chair for a few years and she found that she couldn't eat as many calories as the average person(and lose/maintain her weight).

AlongCame_Molly

You are awesome! I love this post.

ks4e

Great job! Wishing you the best!

JMfan

Seems to me like you know more than most people on here! Congrats to the new you currently and to come!

ShannonMpls

I hope you realize how awesome you are.

lauren31085

You have a great attitude, and I also don't pity people. I wish some had more self control, but no pity.

Hanfordrose

Seems to me like you know more than most people on here! Congrats to the new you currently and to come!

Believe me...even at 68, I still have a lot to learn. I have been many things in my life, ranging from a Navy Journalist to a registered nurse. I have been a mother, grandmother and (Heaven help me) the wife of a pastor. All of my experiences have helped me to become the strange, old lady that I am today. I wish some of those experiences would have taught me how to take better care of myself sooner or at least the motivation to try.

I can be stubborn, as I mentioned to my MFP sister earlier. I know that I can also be opinionated, and that isn't always a good thing. In fact, it can cause me a lot of trouble. I can be prideful, but I can also recognize when I am NOT the most important person in the room.

Mostly, I am just grateful that it isn't too late for me to undo some of the damage that I have done to my body with food.

Mustang_Susie

Seems to me like you know more than most people on here! Congrats to the new you currently and to come!

Believe me...even at 68, I still have a lot to learn. I have been many things in my life, ranging from a Navy Journalist to a registered nurse. I have been a mother, grandmother and (Heaven help me) the wife of a pastor. All of my experiences have helped me to become the strange, old lady that I am today. I wish some of those experiences would have taught me how to take better care of myself sooner or at least the motivation to try.

I can be stubborn, as I mentioned to my MFP sister earlier. I know that I can also be opinionated, and that isn't always a good thing. In fact, it can cause me a lot of trouble. I can be prideful, but I can also recognize when I am NOT the most important person in the room.

Mostly, I am just grateful that it isn't too late for me to undo some of the damage that I have done to my body with food.

Amen!

WhiteGirlWasted13

I must admit, I've MFP-stalked you for a few weeks now. I've read your blog a couple of times. I loved your post about giving your clothes away. It really touched me that God provided such great timing for all of it.

I'm sending you a friend request. I too eat 1000/day or less. I'm being strictly monitored by my doctor. Someone asked me today how I do it. My diary is public for anyone to look at my meals. I'm not ashamed of any of them. Sometimes I even make little notes that "explain" why I did something or didn't.

I'd like to point out just two things to whomever might be reading. The first is that by drinking enough water throughout the day and with your meals, you do maintain a feeling of fullness longer. I carry around a 24 oz Tervis Tumbler and it's always being refilled because I drink, on average, 108-120+ ounces of water every day. After a while, you start just craving water. I didn't think that would ever happen to me.

The second thing I'd like to point out is that my doctor told me to eat at least two cups of veggies twice a day. Two cups seems like a lot. At first, it was. But now, I'm finding that I'm actually eating closer to three, even though I still log two cups because I know what that portion looks like now and I sometimes overfill it. But there are so few calories in most veggies, especially if you don't smother them in cheese or some cream-based sauce. Or even salad dressing. I never learned to like dressing. I'm glad of that now. But people still look at me strangely when I don't pour on the Italian or the ranch over my already-perfect salad.

Like OP said earlier, it's about making choices today that will directly impact your life tomorrow. Somebody else said earlier today, choose your "hard" -- may as well be the one that makes you better.